Switzerland's Aletsch Glacier

LE MONDE

Where to travel in 2024? This year, Le Monde answers that question with 10 travel picks accessible by train from France. Number 4: Europe's largest glacier, the Aletsch.

Walking on Europe's largest glacier in Switzerland is a unique and educational experience. For it is by being at the heart of these breathtaking landscapes, accessible without a car, that we come to appreciate their fragility.

Taking in the view from the nearby summits is an emotional experience. But stepping out onto its ice induces a thrill of an entirely different kind. Coming into contact with the Aletsch Glacier, Europe's largest, is a truly ceremonial experience. It originates from beneath the highest mountains of the Swiss Valais, forming a 22-kilometer-long, 11 billion-tonne ice mass with an area of 81 square kilometers.

Story by Cécile Cazenave for Le Monde